#6 [2] Vols Defeat [15] Wofford, 77-62, in NCAA Tournament Opener

Game Recap: Men’s Basketball | March 20, 2025

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The second-seeded University of Tennessee men’s basketball team began its program-record seventh straight NCAA Tournament berth Thursday night with a wire-to-wire victory, 77-62, over No. 15-seeded Wofford at Rupp Arena.

Sixth-ranked Tennessee (28-7, 12-6 SEC) led for all but the first 13 seconds of the victory, claiming a spot in the Round of 32 for the fourth straight season. Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier dropped 29 points, the third-most by a Volunteer in NCAA Tournament play, while senior guard Zakai Zeigler had a 12-point, 12-assist double-double and broke the school record for career assists in the triumph.

The Volunteers, midway through the first half, scored 12 straight points—seven came from Lanier—in 2:58 to claim a 22-8 advantage with 11:02 on the timer. The stretch came during a span of six straight made field goals.

Wofford (19-16, 10-8 SOCON), after a 3:55 scoreless drought, responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to make it an eight-point game just 65 ticks later, but Tennessee thrice stretched the margin back to 13. The Terriers got the margin down to eight twice more before the Volunteers took a nine-point edge 36-27, into the break behind 14 points from Lanier and a 5-0 margin in points off turnovers, despite the teams posting four apiece.

Just 4:27 into the second stanza, the Volunteers got the lead back to 14, but Wofford countered with a three-point play and a 3-pointer in 89 seconds to make it 48-40 with 13:33 to go. Tennessee regained control and built the cushion to a then-game-best 16, 61-45, with 10:35 left during a span in which it hit six consecutive field-goal attempts.

The Terriers soon made three shots in a row on their end to get it down to nine, but junior forward Felix Okpara threw down dunks on the next to possession to give Tennessee a 13-point margin, 68-55, with 7:08 to play. The victors went up by 17 with 1:58 to go and then by a game-high 18 with 41 ticks on the timer, after which Wofford hit a 3-pointer to close the scoring and make it a 15-point final margin.

Lanier’s 29 points, the most ever by a Volunteer in an NCAA Tournament win, came on an 11-of-22 field-goal clip to match his career best in makes. He shot 6-of-13 from long range to tie the most single-game 3-point makes in the NCAA Tournament in program history. The Nashville, Tenn., native added five rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block in the win.

Zeigler scored his 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the floor, including a 2-of-5 mark from deep, and a perfect 2-of-2 showing at the line. The 12 assists, his fifth-most as a collegian and third-highest total of 2024-25, tied for the second-most by a Volunteer in NCAA Tournament competition. The Long Island, N.Y., native, who committed zero turnovers in 37 minutes and notched two assists, is the sixth player in the last 50 seasons (1975-2025), per Elias Sports Bureau, with 12 points, 12 assists and no turnovers in an NCAA Tournament affair.

Senior guard Jahmai Mashack added nine points, a game-best seven rebounds and two steals in the triumph.

Jackson Sivills, playing in his home state, paced the Terriers with 15 points. Fellow senior guard Corey Tripp had 14, but Tennessee held him to 6-of-17 field-goal shooting. Sophomore forward Jeremy Lorenz registered 12 points and junior guard Justin Bailey scored 10, with both shooting 4-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-3 beyond the arc.

Both sides made double-digit 3-pointers—Wofford went 11-of-26 (42.3 percent) and Tennessee shot 10-of-28 (35.7 percent)—but the Volunteers had a plus-10 margin in points at the line. They shot 15-of-22 (68.2 percent) compared to the Terriers’ 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) ledger.

Tennessee, which shot 26-of-54 (48.1 percent) overall, also did not allow a single point on the fast break or via turnover, ending the night with 3-0 and 14-0 tallies, respectively.

The Volunteers will take on either seventh-seeded UCLA in the Round of 32, with tip-off at Rupp Arena set for Saturday at 9:40 p.m., live on TBS and truTV.

To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES
• Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes upped his career win total to 834, remaining tied with John Calipari for the ninth-most all-time (min. 10 years in Division I) and for the most among active coaches.
• Barnes also increased his career NCAA Tournament record to 31-28, good for the sixth-most victories of any active Division I head coach and the second-most in the SEC.
• This is the 17th time in 29 trips to the NCAA Tournament that Barnes has led his team to the Round of 32, including the sixth in seven appearances at Tennessee.
• The Volunteers improved to 29-27 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including 25-25 in regulation, 17-8 in the first round, 1-1 in Kentucky, 1-0 in Lexington and 1-0 against Wofford.
• Tennessee is now 9-4 as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, as well as 5-0 against No. 15 seeds, 17-4 versus double-digit seeds and 24-11 against lower seeds.
• The Volunteers played an NCAA Tournament game at a fellow conference member’s arena for the second time ever, joining a 93-88 overtime setback against Syracuse in Baton Rouge, La., on March 13, 1977.
• Tennessee now has a four-year streak of reaching the Round of 32 for the second time ever, joining a five-year stretch from 1978-79 to 1982-83.
• The Volunteers improved to 9-0 all-time against Wofford—its fourth-most wins against any school without a loss—with this the first meeting at a neutral site.
• Thursday’s victory marked Tennessee’s 100th over the current SoCon membership, as it now owns a 100-17 record.
• Barnes is now 26-1 in his career against current SoCon members—that is good for his second-most wins without multiple losses against any league—including 11-1 at Tennessee.
• Tennessee has reached the 28-win mark for the fourth time ever, including the second in Barnes’ tenure, with the 2024-25 campaign joining 2018-19 (31-6), 2009-10 (28-9) and 2007-08 (31-5).
• The Volunteers did not make a field goal for the final 4:47 of the first half and the first 45 seconds of the second, a total span of 5:32.
• Wofford committed its seventh foul of the second half just 6:46 into the frame, putting Tennessee in the bonus with 13:14 to play, and
• Tennessee has conceded 35 or fewer first-half points in 28 of its 35 contests thus far, including 29 or fewer on 16 occasions and 23 or fewer eight times.
• The Volunteers have held a halftime advantage in 23 of their 35 outings this season, including a margin of seven-plus points 14 times, double digits 11 times, 12-plus 10 times, 14-plus eight times, 20-plus four times and 23-plus thrice.
• The Volunteers have held a lead of 15-plus points in 20 of their 35 contests this season, including leading by 18-plus in 18 of them, 20-plus in 15, 26-plus in 11 and 32-plus in five.
• Twenty of Tennessee’s 28 wins are by double digits, with 18 by 12-plus points, nine by at least 20, four by at least 35 and two by 40-plus.
• The 12 assists for Zeigler upped his career mark to 726, moving him past Johnny Darden (715 from 1975-79) for the Tennessee career record and the third-most in SEC history.
• Zeigler tied the record on the first possession of game, just 13 seconds into the contest, hitting Mashack for a 3-pointer and then broke it with 17:01 on the first-half timer on a 3-pointer by Lanier.
• Zeigler’s 12 assists also moved his season total to 254, passing Kentucky’s Tyler Ulis (246 in 2015-16) for the second-most in a campaign in SEC history, behind only Ole Miss’ Sean Tuohy (260 in 1979-80).
• Zeigler’s two steals moved his career total to 247, passing LSU’s Torris Bright (245 from 1999-2003) for sole possession of the No. 10 spot on the SEC all-time leaderboard.
• Zeigler made his 135th appearance as a Volunteer, tying Kyle Alexander (2015-19) for seventh place in program history.
• The 37 minutes for Zeigler upped his career tally to 3,923, eclipsing Brandon Wharton (3,904 from 1995-99) for eighth-most in Tennessee history.
• Zeigler now owns two of the five double-digit assist performances by a Volunteer in NCAA tournament play, as he logged 10 on March 21, 2024, against Saint Peter’s.
• The 12 assists matched Johnny Darden’s total on March 13, 1977, against Syracuse for the second-most by a Tennessee player in the NCAA Tournament, trailing just the 16 by Bert Bertelkamp on March 8, 1980, against Furman.
• In both of Zeigler’s 10-assist NCAA Tournament showings, he also had 10-plus points, giving him the only two points/assists double-doubles ever by a Volunteer in the event.
• Zeigler amassed double-digit assists for the 14th time in his career, including the sixth in 2024-25, with this his fifth time—third this year—posting 12-plus.
• Zeigler now owns 13 double-doubles in his career, with 12 of them—seven more than any other Volunteer—featuring points and assists.
• Over the last 50 seasons (1975-2025), Zeigler is, per the Elias Sports Bureau, the sixth player to compile at least 12 points, 12 assists and zero turnovers in an NCAA Tournament game, joining the following individuals: Colorado’s McKinley Wright IV (March 20, 2021, versus Georgetown), UCLA’s Earl Watson (March 18, 2000, versus Maryland), Bradley’s Jim Les (March 13, 1986, versus UTEP), Indiana’s Isiah Thomas (March 14, 1981, versus Maryland) and Missouri’s Larry Drew (March 8, 1980, versus Notre Dame).
• Across those 50 years, Zeigler is, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 10th player with even 12 assists and zero turnovers, regardless of point total, in an NCAA Tournament affair.
• Zeigler is the only SEC player in the last 20 years (2005-25) with 12 assists, 10 points and no turnovers in a single game.
• In those same 20 seasons, Zeigler now has two outings with 12-plus assists and zero turnovers, while every other SEC player combined has three, with the list as follows: Kentucky’s Sahvir Wheeler (Nov. 12, 2021, versus Robert Morris), Tennessee’s Lamonte’ Turner (Nov. 12, 2019, versus Murray State), Kentucky’s Rajon Rondo (Feb. 22, 2006, versus Ole Miss).
• Zeigler is the only player in 2024-25 with 12 points, 12 assists and zero turnovers in a regulation game against a Division I opponent, with the last instance recorded one season ago by Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard on March 11, 2024, versus San Francisco in Paradise, Nev.
• Zeigler and Mashack, who already own the school’s four-year wins record, recorded their 107th victory at Tennessee, eclipsing four-and-a-half-year competitor Santiago Vescovi (106) for sole possession of fourth place on the program’s overall wins list.
• Lanier’s six 3-point makes pushed his season total to 116, moving him up to No. 10 on the SEC single-season leaderboard.
• The 116 made 3-pointers for Lanier this season also put him second on Tennessee’s single-season list, as he eclipsed Chris Lofton (114 in 2005-06).
• The 29 points by Lanier eclipsed the 28 by Reggie Johnson on March 6, 1980, against Furman for the most by a Volunteer in an NCAA Tournament win.
• The only Tennessee players to score greater than 29 points in an NCAA Tournament contest are Dalton Knecht (37 on March 31, 2024, versus Purdue) and Ernie Grunfeld (36 on March 13, 1976, versus VMI).
• Lanier registered the 29th 20-point performance of his career, including the 14th in his lone season as a Volunteer, as well as reached 25 points for the 14th time, including the sixth in 2024-25.
• The 29 points for Lanier marked his second-highest total of the season, trailing only the 30 he scored Feb. 22 at Texas A&M.
• The 11 made field goals for Lanier set a new season high—he made 10 on three occasions—and matched his career best, set twice during his North Florida tenure, as he went 11-of-18 both and Jan. 25, 2024, at Bellarmine and Feb. 8, 2024, against North Alabama.
• Lanier’s 11 field goals also tied for the most by a Volunteer this season, equaling the mark set Nov. 17, 2024, by Miličić against Austin Peay.
• Lanier connected on six 3-pointers for the seventh time in his career, including the fifth during his lone year at Tennessee.
• Okpara’s blocked shot upped his 2024-25 tally to 60, matching Doug Roth (60 in 1988-89) for sixth place on Tennessee’s single-season list and becoming the seventh Volunteer to reach 60 in a campaign.
• Sophomore forward Cade Phillips grabbed five rebounds in the victory, his 11th time reaching that mark as a Volunteer, all of which are during the 2024-25 campaign.
• Phillips amassed a 6-of-8 ledger from the free-throw line, setting career highs in both makes and attempts.
• Phillips’ prior high in made free throws with five against Miami on Dec. 10, 2024, in New York, while his previous best in attempts was six, both against the Hurricanes and Dec. 31 versus Norfolk State.
• Freshman guard Bishop Boswell’s layup with 4:47 on the first-half clock marked his third field-goal as a Volunteer, his first points since Dec. 3, 2024, versus Syracuse and his first field goal since Nov. 21, 2024, against Virginia in Nassau, Bahamas.
• The following Volunteers made their NCAA Tournament debuts: Boswell, Lanier, Okpara, fifth-year guard Darlinstone Dubar, freshman guard Campbell Duncan, senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., and freshman guard Gavin Paull.